Thatz Private I: Case of the Secret Box
by Laenavesse
Summary: I liiiiiive, not really . Anyway, my one shot fic of Thatz being a private investigator weird, huh? told from his perspective. Never wrote a detectivemystery story before so...sorry? xD Anyway, enjoy my 11th DK fanfic oO


_**Detective Thatz**_

Note: I found this while looking through my old story folders, and I was like "…WHOA THAT WAS WAY BACK THEN Oo" so technically this is an old fic, just never was uploaded xD So yeah, it's not like I've returned from the grave…though who knows

My tenth, that's right **ELEVENTH **DK fanfic xDD And how many of these eleven are complete? Uh…4? XD;;; Not even half xD Though one **is** on hiatus…okay two are. But this is just a one-shot (or maybe more…who knows I might do more than one case). Written in Thatz's point of view though at some points I might go to third person. Why Thatz? I can just have so much more fun with his mind xD His narration is in italics. Everything that's happening outside of his mind is normal. By the way, this is my first attempt at making a detective story (as weird as this is going to be…) sooo don't expect Sherlock Holmes or something! AU if you haven't figured that part out xD

Can _you_ figure out the mystery before the end?

Disclaimer: Though I wish it oh so much, I don't own 'em.

**Case of the Secret Box**

_It was your average day in downtown Draqueen. There had been some rain in the last few days, however, and even now as I glance out the window I can see a light drizzle._

_Rain._

_There was something about this sort of weather that makes one nostalgic…makes _me _tired._

_Mm…sleep…_

"Thatz!"

_I half-opened my once closed eyes and glance at Rune. He's my manager though he used to be my partner. Was pretty good when we needed to have a female decoy or bait. …Though that was probably what made him quit and become the manager of this place. He's still looking at me. I wonder if I have something on my face…_

"What?" _My voice was slightly rough, almost like a grunt. Must have been that fruitcake I had received from a past client…_

"You have another job to do." _Yeah, yeah, like when do I don't? _"It's from the governor himself."

"Lykouleon?" _Well this was a surprise. My normal clients were of the middle class, one or two from the lower. I usually do those jobs for free. Hey, even though I love money, that doesn't mean I don't have a heart. I mean if I didn't…I wouldn't be able to eat the food they give instead! _"What's the case?" _I lit up a cig as Rune glanced back down at the request._

"Something about a box. It had been found missing after their evening dinner."

"When else would they have dinner? During breakfast?"

"Dinners are not just the evening meals, they also mean large meals. Some people call lunch dinner if it's the main meal. I would think that _you_ would know that, Mr. Bottomless Pit."

_I just laughed. _"So what's the pay?"

"Lets see…50,000 Gold."

_I shot straight out of my chair. _"FIFTY THOUSAND!" _With that money I could have all the food I wanted…no, I could buy my own restaurant! Ah…I could finally have a taste at some of the higher cuisines instead of living off pizza all the time…not that pizza was bad. But still, a detective of my caliber ought to have a taste of the more exquisite wouldn't you agree?_

_I came out of my daydream when I noticed Rune was still talking. I didn't pay much attention though. I leaned back into my chair and picked up the newspaper as he kept rambling on about some sort of background on the box. Who cares? As long as I got the money I didn't really give a damn._

"Did they give a picture?"

_He flicked it to me and I caught it between my middle and index fingers. I examined it and raised an eyebrow. I had expected a rather highly decorated valuable looking box, laced with gold or studded with jewels. Instead I found a plain black box with barely any gold trim. It was old. Really old. The hinges were probably brass. Looked more like a jewelry or music box to me. _"Someone stole _this_?"

_Rune just shrugged. Che, typical._

"All right, do I have a deadline?"

"No, just the vague 'As soon as possible'."

"Better for me." _I smashed my half-smoked cig down into the ashtray and got back up. I took out a stick of Ringley's gum and chewed on it for a few seconds before walking over to the coat rack. _"Get Rath. We're going to see the governor."

"Why do you need Rath?"

_I could feel his eyes staring at me confused and I grinned to myself. He had a right to be confused. Rath only came along when there was a need to fight off the thugs who committed the crimes. I usually only call him after I had found who had done what. But this time, I had a hunch that there was something more about that box. Something Rune said had caught my ear for a second before I tuned back out again. With hat and coat on and hand on the door I just grinned at him before walking out. _

_The walk wasn't too bad. The rain had stopped, but there were still those giant puddles to be careful of. Rath had joined me a few minutes after I had left the office. He, too, was confused, though eager. I kept my hat low over my face. It was usually after the rain had let up when the scum of the city start to show up. It was dark as well. And I knew that there are a few out there who want revenge for being put into the slammer._

"Hey…Thatz. Why did you call me anyway?"

_I smiled at my fighter partner._ "I have a hunch that whoever took that box will have some nasty accomplices still close by. But I need to ask the keeper of the box himself before I can make any deductions."

"So, what, am I your bodyguard or something?"

"Something like that."

_We soon reached the mansion. I took a moment to stare at it. Any thief would just love to take a crack at this place. Who knew what treasures could be found inside? I just grinned to myself at that thought and walked up to the intercom at the gate._

"Detective Thatz. I'm here about the box."

_There was a click and the gates slowly opened. Strangely, I wondered that when I die if the Pearly Gates of Heaven would open this way. Or the Gates of Hell, heh. Maybe even Limbo…if they used gates. _

_As we passed through I could feel several pairs of eyes glaring at our backs, a few with guns. I even caught a wiff of dog. I'd feel sorry for anyone who tried to break into this place. _

_Upon reaching the door I felt Rath tensing up. Not the greatest of signs but I rang the doorbell anyway. The wait was unbearable. It felt like an eternity though it was only a few seconds before the head maid, Cernozura, opened the door. Grabbing Rath's shirt I rushed inside, startling the poor girl but there was no time for apologies. Governor Lykouleon was standing in front of me, a slight look of amusement on his face._

"So, you noticed one our guests."

"Guest?"

_It was Rath. We both stared at the governor in disbelief._

_I whirled around and pointed out the window._ "You call _that_ a guest!"

_Just outside was a gigantic fish. He was just floating there, not really doing anything. But the demonic energy that was being emitted made even my blood run. The same was going through Rath's body, but his was running from excitement. I could see it now: that fish's head mounted on the fireplace. All thanks to Rath and his crazy obsession._

"Well, a pet to one of them. I'm glad you came so quickly. Alfeegi has almost driven my lieutenant governor up the wall."

_Accepting Cernozura's offer to hang up my coat and hat, I glanced around._ "You called the best there is. So what is this box?"

"Just an heirloom passed down through the generations. No one has opened in generations, either. Some say it's cursed, bring the downfall of Draqueen."

"A Pandora's Box, eh?"

_He chuckled at that._ "Something like that. Which is why Alfeegi is quite upset."

_Lykouleon didn't seem too concerned about the box. I ran a hand over a dragon statue. Probably worth millions. _"When was it last seen?"

"Eto…before dinner, if I recall correctly."

"And when was it found missing? And by who?"

"Cernozura, right after we left the dining hall."

"Were any of the dinner guests missing at the time?"

"No, we were pretty much together."

"Who were invited?"

"Lets see…Governor Nadil and his crew. That would be Shydeman, Shyrendora, Sabel, and Fedelta."

_I just stared at him. I didn't have to look at Rath. I could tell he was feeling the same amount of disbelief I had for this guy. He invited all _those_ youkai into his _mansion_ and he is _nonchalant_ about it! I swear, I'll _never_ understand him…_ "And…all of them were by your side?"

"Yes. Of course my attendants and Tetheus was there. We were discussing some political matters and also we were thinking about joining together to create a sort of fundraiser to both of the cities."

_I think I heard Rath's jaw drop to the floor, though I would have, too if my mind wasn't preoccupied in analyzing the rather shady characters. Nadil may be respectable in some areas, but he is rather…well demonic. And then his lieutenant governors Shydeman and Shyrendora…well those two were shady enough on their own. Fedelta was the head of a rather large gang, and a not one of the good ones. Sabel was Nadil's right hand man, second to Shydeman that is. He was like the teacher's pet. I hadn't heard anything bad from him. Yet. I decided to continue my questionings._

"And are they still here?"

"Yes, they are staying here for a few days." _His smile somehow gave me the creeps._

"Do you mind if I interviewed them?"

_He hesitated. _"Well…I have no qualms but I am not so sure--"

"No worries, I won't be rude. Just a few simple questions to cross off suspects and narrow it down."

_With a nod he turned and Rath and I followed him into a rather large parlour. Rath immediately went to the bookshelf and pulled out a book. I wondered at that. Either he actually liked reading or he had just found a guide to demons. Glancing around, I took note of the rather extravagant yet simple décor. I walked over to a table and picked up a marble statue of a faerie. Inspecting it I concluded that it was authentic and made out of probably the rarest marble around. With this in mind I looked around the room._

_Something bothered me._

_The person who stole the box must know of its history, marking out any outside thieves. It obviously wasn't stolen for its looks. They must also have had access to the mansion. Otherwise they would have been taken by the guards, though I'm sure Tetheus had ordered tighter security after the box went missing. _

_It couldn't be a common thief. Even if they had managed to pass through this place they would have stolen something else, something that would actually sell. That left me to one conclusion:_

_One of the guests was the thief._

_But which one? _

_Unfortunately my questionings got me nowhere. Each of them told accurate stories and each was pretty much the same, which checked with Lykouleon's earlier account of everyone being together. Either they were all telling the truth or one of them was lying. If it was the former, then I'm back to square one. If it _was_ the latter, then I'd have to reexamine their stories. _

_I sighed and turned to look at Rath, his head still deep into the book he had pulled out before. He had somehow managed to behave himself throughout the whole ordeal._

_That must be one damn good book._

"Hey…Thatz…"

"What?"

"Didn't Sabel come with that fish?"

_I thought about it._ "Yeah…'cept he was a lot smaller. So what?"

_Rath looked up from his book and turned to me. _"I thought I saw Sabel take out a box at some point. It looked like the one in the picture, only it was a dark green."

_What? I frowned as I recalled the interview. It was then that something hit me and I bolted out of the door, leaving Rath to stare at me stupefied._

_When I reached the podium the box had been on before it went missing, I skidded to a halt and tried to catch my breath. Stooping down, I ran my hand along the bottom of the podium and lifted my fingers when I felt something. It was water. I inched around it and wiped my fingers along the floor. More water. I stood back up and examined the face of the podium. There were no traces that a box had been there._

_I had a feeling I knew who the culprit was, but I needed to make one last check. After asking a few directions from the maids, I knocked on Sabel's door. _

"What is it?"

"Sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to ask you about your fish."

_When he opened the door I stared in complete awe into the room. Covering every inch of the walls were some sort of fish memorabilia. Can we say obsessed?_ _The fish in question was floating in the air, staring at me. _

"What do you want to know about Galaba?" _Sabel seemed rather protective about him. Seeing him hug the fish close to him kinda gave me the hint. _"He hasn't done anything."

"Oh, well, I don't know about that. Do you give him treats?"

"Well, yeah. Only the best for my Galaba, ne?" _I felt I was going to be sick by the way he was babying the giant goldfish. It's just a fish, jeez. Why couldn't he have a normal pet, like a dog or a cat? _

"Where do you keep them?"

_He raised an eyebrow. _"In this box." _He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a box out of one of the drawers. Galaba immediately swam over to him and peered over Sabel's shoulder. If he was a dog he'd probably be whining. _

"Can I see it?" _I knew it. They were almost the same, only this was everwood green. The designs were different, too. There was also a scent of newness to this one. I handed it back._ "Could you call your friends and tell them to assemble at the front hall?"

_I then went to find Lykouleon. Alfeegi gave me a death stare when I walked right into his office. I wonder if he still has that grudge…hm…oh well. _"I know who stole the box."

_I always felt a deep satisfaction when I saw my client's face after I tell them that I solved the case._

_When everyone assembled at the hall, I cleared my throat. _"Narrowing down the suspects was rather easy. I knew it couldn't have been any outside thief and thus it had to be one of the guests here. However, apparently that was not exactly the case."

"Will you just hurry up and get to the point?" _It seemed that Shyrendora was more concerned with her nails than with the current matter._

_After giving her a quick look I turned my back to them and continued my investigation._ "After the briefings, I went over to the scene of the crime and noticed something, something that apparently hadn't caught anyone's eye."

"And that would be?" _Damn, she was annoying._

"Water."

"Water?" _Yay for the twin. _"What does _water_ have anything to do with this?"

"Everything. For you see…the box had not been stolen. It had been eaten."

"EATEN!" _Having them assemble in a large hall where sound is amplified by a lot had not been such a good idea._

"THE BOX WAS EATEN!" _Yep, it definitely had _not_ been such a great idea, especially with Alfeegi blowing his head off like that. _

"Well this is certainly a twist." _And Lykouleon was as nonchalant as ever. I will _never_ understand him. Maybe that's a good thing…_

"Yes, eaten. By a certain fish!"

_I whirled around and pointed right at Galaba floating next to Sabel, the youkai staring at me in disbelief. _

"Why the hell would Galaba _eat_ a box!"

"Elementary, my dear Sabel, elementary. It was more of an accident that deliberate. He just mistook the box for the one that you kept the treats. Galaba discovered the box during one of his roams around the mansion and in his excitement, he did not notice the differences and just assumed it was the one you had and ate it."

_Silence. Was my deduction just _that_ brilliant? Ah, I _am_ a genius after all!_

"Ga-Ga-Ga-Ga-" _Well I think Alfeegi took that quite nicely. _

"Well this _is_ a twist! Oh well, I guess there's nothing we can do about it until Galaba either coughs it up or relieves himself." _Man, is this guy _ever_ concerned!_ "Thank you, Detective Thatz, for solving this rather interesting case. Your pay should have arrived at your office by now."

"Thank you, Governor." _The food…THE FOOD! _

_Aah…so many possibilities…should I try Italian? Or maybe French… I've never had German cuisine before, I wonder what's it like. All these were running through my head as I went to the door._

"Ahem, Detective." _Great. Mr. I-Need-Anger-Management. _"Your pocket?"

"Huh?" _I reached down and felt something brush my fingers. Pulling the object out I gave a nervous laugh. It was the marble statue from the parlour. Now when did that get there… _"Eh-heh…old habits!"

_He snatched it from my hands and glared at me. _"Thank you."

_When I finally returned back to my office, Rune was looking through some papers. _"How'd it go?"

"It was rather…interesting. The box ended up being eaten."

"Eaten!"

"I told you it was interesting. Though I feel like I've forgotten something…"

_It was then that Rune looked up and glanced around the office. _"Thatz, where's Rath?"

_I just stood there, doom slowly creeping through my body. The phone rang and since I was closest, I slowly picked it up. I wish I hadn't. After Alfeegi yelled at me for leaving the demon hunting maniac over there, I couldn't hear quite well for a week. _

_Well, that's all in the day of a life of an ex-thief detective. What are the odds?_

* * *

Well that's all. Yeah, stupid huh? O.o; If I _do_ do another case, I think I'll be a lot more careful about it…o.O This one was rather…lame xD Ah well, I'm a random person, though I do like mysteries!

Did you figure out who the culprit was? If you did, I give you a cookie! If you didn't…well I still give you a cookie! Tell me what you think and any flames you give I will laugh because if I'll probably burn this anyway xD


End file.
